Regina Rene King (born January 15, 1971) is an American actress, director and producer. She has received various accolades, including an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

, a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

, and four

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

. In 2019, ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. King first gained attention for starring in the television sitcom '' 227'' (1985–1990). Her subsequent roles included the film ''

Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO 8601-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth ...

'' (1995), the animated series ''

The Boondocks Boondocks are remote, usually brushy areas. Boondocks may also refer to: * The Boondocks (comic strip), ''The Boondocks'' (comic strip), a comic strip by Aaron McGruder ** The Boondocks (TV series), ''The Boondocks'' (TV series), the television s ...

'' (2005–2014), and the crime television series '' Southland'' (2009–2013). She received four

for her performances in the ABC anthology series '' American Crime'' (2015–2017), the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

miniseries '' Seven Seconds'', and the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

limited series ''

Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 19 ...

'' (2019). Her other television roles include the drama series '' The Leftovers'' (2015–2017) and the sitcom ''

The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady for CBS. It aired from September 24, 2007, to May 16, 2019, running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes. The show originally centered on five charact ...

'' (2013–2019). She has also played supporting roles in the drama films ''

Boyz n the Hood ''Boyz n the Hood'' is a 1991 American coming-of-age hood crime drama film written and directed by John Singleton in his feature directorial debut. It stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube (in his film debut), Morris Chestnut, and Laurence Fis ...

'' (1991), ''

Poetic Justice Poetic justice, also called poetic irony, is a literary device with which ultimately virtue is rewarded and misdeeds are punished. In modern literature, it is often accompanied by an ironic twist of fate related to the character's own action, h ...

'' (1993), '' How Stella Got Her Groove Back'' (1998), and '' Ray'' (2004), as well as in the comedies '' Down to Earth'' (2001), '' Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde'' (2003), '' A Cinderella Story'' (2004), and '' Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous'' (2005). She earned critical acclaim, as well as the

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...

, for her role in '' If Beale Street Could Talk'' (2018). She then starred in the

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

'' The Harder They Fall'' (2021) and played the

title role The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...

in the

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

'' Shirley'' (2024). King has directed episodes for several television shows, including ''

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...

'' in 2015 and 2016 and ''

This Is Us ''This Is Us'' is an American drama television series created by Dan Fogelman that aired on NBC from September 20, 2016, to May 24, 2022. The series follows the lives and families of two parents and their three children in several different ti ...

'' in 2017. She has also directed the music video for the 2010 song " Finding My Way Back" by Jaheim. King's feature film directorial debut came with the drama '' One Night in Miami...'' (2020), which earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director.

Early life and education

Regina Rene King was born on January 15, 1971, in

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the List of United States counties and county equivalents, most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 202 ...

,Stated on ''

Finding Your Roots ''Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'' is an American documentary television series hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. that premiered on March 25, 2012, on PBS. In each episode, celebrities are presented with a "book of life" that is com ...

'', April 12, 2022 and grew up in View Park–Windsor Hills. Her ancestors were part of the triangle slave trade; they originated in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Senegal. Her parents are both from the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

. She is the elder daughter of Gloria Jean (), a special education teacher, and Thomas Henry King Jr., an electrician. King's younger sister Reina co-starred with her in the 2024

film '' Shirley''. Their parents divorced in 1979. King attended Westchester High School, graduating in 1989. She later studied communications at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

for two years before pursuing her passion for acting.

Career

1985–2004: Early roles and breakthrough

King began her acting career in 1985, playing the role of Brenda Jenkins on the television series '' 227'',"It's Evening in America". '' Vanity Fair''. May 2012. p. 155. a role she played until the show ended in 1990. She went on to appear in the

John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing '' Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for ...

films ''

'', ''

'', and ''

Higher Learning Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

''. In 1995, she was featured in the hit comedy film ''

''. The next year, she starred in the

Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on '' Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor and comedian. Lawrence began his career doing comedy shows, including in '' The Improv''. After his first acting role in t ...

dark comedy-romance '' A Thin Line Between Love and Hate'' as Mia, and she gained fame starring in blockbuster romantic comedy film '' Jerry Maguire'' as Marcee Tidwell. In 1998, she was cast in

Tony Scott Anthony David Leighton Scott (21 June 1944 – 19 August 2012) was a British film director and producer. He made his theatrical film debut with ''The Hunger (1983 film), The Hunger'' (1983) and went on to direct highly successful action and t ...

's film '' Enemy of the State,'' receiving her first nomination at the

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. In the same year, King took part in the films '' How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Mighty Joe Young,'' and '' Love and Action in Chicago.'' In 2001, King played Sontee Jenkins in

Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, and Christine. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), Nigerian autho ...

and Paul Weitz's '' Down to Earth,'' receiving praise from critics for her performance. The following year, she played the main role in television series ''

Leap of Faith In philosophy, a leap of faith is the act of belief, believing in or accepting something not on the basis of reason. The phrase is commonly associated with Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. Idiomatic usage As an idiom, ''leap of faith'' ca ...

.'' After taking part in teen

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

film '' A Cinderella Story'', King was cast as Margie Hendrix in the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

nominated

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curric ...

film '' Ray'', about

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

. For her performance in ''Ray'', King won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress, the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress and was part of a cast nomination from the

Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

2005–2017: Established actress

Regina King at the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards

In 2005, King was cast in '' Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous'' and began voicing the characters Huey and

Riley Freeman Riley Freeman is a character from print syndication, syndicated comic strip The Boondocks (comic strip), ''The Boondocks'' written by Aaron McGruder and its The Boondocks (TV series), TV series adaptation. He often refers to himself as "Riley Esc ...

for the animated series ''

.'' In 2007, King played the main role of Sandra Palmer in season six of television series '' 24'' and acted in films '' Year of the Dog'' and '' This Christmas.'' From 2009 to 2013, King played Detective Lydia Adams in TNT

police drama The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agencies as the protagonists, as ...

'' Southland,'' receiving multiple

Critics' Choice Television Award The Critics' Choice Television Awards were accolades that were presented annually by the Critics Choice Association (CCA). They were established in 2011, and the first ceremony was held on June 20, 2011, and streamed live on VH1.com. The fou ...

nominations, and winning two

. After taking part in Rick Famuyiwa's

film '' Our Family Wedding,'' King appeared as guest judge in ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...

.'' In 2013, King played Caltech HR manager Janine Davis in the television series ''

.'' In 2014, she was cast in two television series, ''

The Strain ''The Strain'' is a 2009 vampire literature, vampire horror fiction, horror novel by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. It is the first installment in ''The Strain Trilogy'', and was followed by ''The Fall (del Toro and Hogan novel), The Fal ...

'' and '' Shameless.'' In 2015, King was a cast member on ABC's John Ridley-penned ensemble drama '' American Crime'', playing three roles, including a devout member of the

Nation of Islam The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A centralized and hierarchical organization, the NOI is committed to black nationalism and focuses its attention on the Afr ...

and the sister of a drug addict accused of murder. In 2015 and 2016, King won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie for her roles. Also in 2015, King starred in '' The Leftovers'', which earned her a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

. From 2015 to 2017, King began to pursue work as a director and writer, initially directing six episodes of the drama series '' Being Mary Jane''. In 2016, she directed two episodes of ''

'', and single episodes of '' The Catch'', '' Animal Kingdom,

'' and '' Shameless.''

2018–present: Awards success and directorial debut

In 2018, King played the mother of a murdered black teenager in the Netflix original series '' Seven Seconds'', winning her third

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

. Her performance in the 2018 film '' If Beale Street Could Talk'', directed by Barry Jenkins, garnered critical acclaim and earned her the

and

. King additionally won the Critics' Choice, Los Angeles Film Critics, New York Film Critics,

National Society of Film Critics The National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) is an American film critic organization. The organization is known for its highbrow tastes, and its annual awards are one of the most prestigious film critics awards in the United States. In January 2024, ...

, and numerous other critic awards for Supporting Actress, making her the most awarded actor of 2018 in film. In regards to King's performance,

Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American writer. He is a former columnist and film critic for the '' Chicago Sun-Times'', where he wrote for 39 years dating back to 1986 until his departure in 2025. He co-hosted the television s ...

for the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

'' wrote: "Regina King is blazingly good in a nomination-worthy performance as Tish's mother. Even when there's fire in her eyes as she defends her daughter, you can see her primary motivating force is love. The love she has for her child, and for the child of her child." In his review for ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'',

Mark Kermode Mark Kermode (, ; ; born 2 July 1963) is an English film critic, musician, radio presenter, television presenter, author and podcaster. He is the co-presenter (with Ellen E. Jones) of the BBC Radio 4 programme ''Screenshot'', and co-presenter ...

wrote: "As for Regina King, her brilliantly modulated performance is a masterclass in physical understatement. One moment stands out ..'Mamma... ,' says Tish, tentatively, and even before she turns to face us, an almost imperceptible movement of King's neck and shoulders tells us that Sharon knows exactly what her daughter is about to say." Re-teaming with '' The Leftovers'' creator

Damon Lindelof Damon Laurence Lindelof (born April 24, 1973) is an American screenwriter, comic book writer, and producer. Among his accolades, he received three Primetime Emmy Awards, from twelve nominations. In 2010, ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine named ...

, King starred in the 2019 limited series ''

'', for which she received acclaim and won the TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama, Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series, and her fourth

. In an IndieWire review for the series, Ben Travers wrote: "King is nothing short of amazing — yes, she's got an Oscar and three Emmys, but she puts even more range on display in a turn that effortlessly pivots between invulnerable and vulnerable." In a decade-end list by Caroline Framke and Daniel D'Addario for '' Variety'', King's performance was amongst the best of the 2010s in television. In July 2019, it was announced King would direct '' One Night in Miami...'' based upon the play of the same name. The film had its world premiere at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

on September 7, 2020, the first film directed by an African-American woman to be selected in the festival's history. King received numerous awards and nominations at major critics' prizes, earning a Best Director nomination at the

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...

and being recognized with the Robert Altman Award at the

Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...

. In October 2021, King starred in Netflix's American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film '' The Harder They Fall'', directed by Jeymes Samuel, winning several awards including the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. King next produced Netflix's '' Shirley'', a biopic about the first black congresswoman

Shirley Chisholm Shirley Anita Chisholm ( ; ; November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005) was an American politician who, in 1968, became the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm represented New York's 12th congressional dist ...

during her historic presidential campaign, and starred as the title character. It was written and directed by John Ridley, with whom she previously worked on '' American Crime''. In May 2021, it was announced that King would direct race-themed monster movie ''Bitter Root'' for

Legendary Entertainment Legendary Entertainment, LLC (also known as Legendary Pictures or simply Legendary) is an American mass media and film production company based in Burbank, California, founded by Thomas Tull. The company has often collaborated with the major stu ...

. She served as an executive producer and directed the David E. Kelley–written television series '' A Man in Full'' for Netflix, based on the

Tom Wolfe Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr. (March 2, 1930 – May 14, 2018)Some sources say 1931; ''The New York Times'' and Reuters both initially reported 1931 in their obituaries before changing to 1930. See and was an American author and journalist widely ...

novel of the same name.

Personal life

King was married to Ian Alexander Sr. from 1997 to 2007. They had one son, Ian Alexander Jr., who was born in 1996 and later became a

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

and recording artist. Ian Jr. died by suicide on January 21, 2022, at age 26.

Filmography

Film

Television

As director

As music video director

References

External links

* * King, Regina
"The Emmys: As White As Ever"
''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

'', September 3, 2010; retrieved October 9, 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:King, Regina 1971 births 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Cincinnati Actresses from Los Angeles African-American child actresses African-American film directors American child actresses American film actresses American television actresses American television directors American voice actresses American women film directors American women television directors Audiobook narrators Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Film directors from Los Angeles Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female winners Living people Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners People from View Park–Windsor Hills, California University of Southern California alumni American people of Sierra Leonean descent American people of Liberian descent American people of Senegalese descent